The WIF/GM grant will be presented to five up-and-coming
Latina filmmakers, chosen through an application process overseen by a WIF
selection committee comprised of professional filmmakers and entertainment
industry execs from the New York-based chapter of WIF, New York Women in Film
& Television (NYWIFT). The grant will provide recipients with a broad
understanding of the business of filmmaking through a six-day mentoring
program, headed by members of NYWIFT.
Yasmina Cádiz from Chicago was a winner of the inaugural
Latina grant, based on her eight-minute short, Mama Said, about the unbreakable spirit of a nine-year-old
girl left by her mother. The short has since screened at 15 film festivals and
is scheduled at two more. Cadiz recently relocated to Los Angeles and is at
work on her first feature film.
Selected participants will receive round-trip transportation
to New York City and will be hosted by NYWIFT this October. The grant will
begin with two days of meetings and seminars with leaders and executives in the
film and television industries. Participants will also receive industry passes
to the Hamptons International Film Festival in East Hampton, Long Island,
including admission to the Independent’s Ball and other festival parties hosted
by Lifetime Television Networks and NYWIFT.
Applications and entry guidelines for the WIF/GM 2007
Opening Doors/Abriendo Puertas: The Acceleration Grant for Emerging Latina
Filmmakers may be obtained at www.nywift.org.
Applicants must be female and must be of Latin/Hispanic descent. They must have
made at least one film, but not yet be established in the industry.